Event Day Details

EVENT DAY DETAILS

EVENT SCHEDULE

T-SHIRTS

Every participant who raises $25 or more on their personal fundraising page will receive a PurpleStride T-shirt. Please check our event deadlines for more details as they are available regarding when you can pick up your T-shirt.

Volunteers in your local affiliate will determine a safe way to distribute T-shirts after the event to those who have raised $25 or more. Please check our event deadlines for more details as they are available.

All pancreatic cancer survivors who register for PurpleStride are eligible to receive a special survivor T-shirt and no fundraising minimum is required.

SPECIAL GUESTS

Julie M. Fleshman, JD, MBA
President and Chief Executive Officer



The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) nationwide network of people dedicated to fighting the world’s toughest cancer. Founded by a group of pancreatic cancer survivors and caregivers in 1999, the organization relentlessly pursues its mission by implementing an aggressive and comprehensive strategy of research, patient support, advocacy and awareness. The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is headquartered in Manhattan Beach, Calif., and also staffs a Washington, D.C., and New York City office.

Julie Fleshman became the organization’s first full-time staff person and its first Executive Director in April 2000. Having lost her father to pancreatic cancer in 1999, she has made it her passion and commitment to change the course of the disease. In July 2004, the Board of Directors appointed Fleshman President and CEO. Under her leadership, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network has grown from a staff of one with revenues of $228,000 to a staff of over 140 with a budget of more than $40 million.

Today, Fleshman is a sought-after speaker with considerable experience addressing diverse stakeholder groups, including Congress, industry, patients, scientists, donors and volunteers. She has also been interviewed by national media such as The New York Times, CNN, PBS, Headline News, CBS News and ABC News as well as local press throughout the country.

Fleshman’s leadership has driven consistent excellence and innovation throughout the programs and services of the organization, including introducing precision medicine service Know Your Tumor® and Precision PromiseSM, the first response-adaptive randomized clinical trial for pancreatic cancer. At the same time, she has steadily increased revenue growth and the organization’s impact. Under her direction, the organization has greatly expanded and attracted leading researchers from prestigious institutions around the country to study pancreatic cancer.

During Fleshman’s tenure, advocacy and grassroots efforts have expanded to over 60 affiliates nationwide and yielded a $160 million increase in federal funding for pancreatic cancer research. The organization has awarded 199 pancreatic cancer research grants and has a projected total research investment of approximately $126 million, including the competitive Research Grants Program and leading-edge scientific and clinical initiatives. Patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals have called upon the organization more than 204,000 times for disease information, treatment options and hope.

Fleshman holds her JD and MBA degrees from Santa Clara University and a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She also studied abroad at Oxford University and in Tokyo, Japan.

Fleshman has been honored for her leadership and dedication in the fight against pancreatic cancer by many organizations. She serves on the boards of several cancer care and research committees and organizations. Currently, she serves as a National Cancer Research Advocate for the National Cancer Institute (NCI), providing advice to the NCI Director with respect to promoting research outcomes that are in the best interest of cancer patients.

In addition, Fleshman is the Chair of the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition, a coalition of more than 80 pancreatic cancer organizations representing 32 countries on six continents.

Pamela Acosta Marquardt
Founder



In 1996, Pamela Acosta Marquardt lost her mother to pancreatic cancer following a six-month battle. After discovering there was no organization that dealt with pancreatic cancer, Marquardt became determined to do something to ensure that patients and families had a place to turn to for information, resources and hope.

In November 1998, she produced the An Evening with the Stars gala in Beverly Hills, by rallying and bringing together celebrity families who had lost loved ones to the disease. The gala was the first-ever major fundraising event for pancreatic cancer. Event proceeds funded the first early detection lab for pancreatic cancer at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. In February 1999, she founded the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network with the goal of it becoming a beacon of hope for those touched by the disease.

Marquardt served on the board of directors of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network prior to joining its staff full time in 2007. A devoted advocate and tenacious leader within the pancreatic cancer community, she is also a highly regarded public speaker, regularly addressing the organization’s mission and its goal of creating a brighter future for pancreatic cancer patients.

Previously, Marquardt was Executive Director of the American Heart Association in the Inland Empire area of Southern California, where she oversaw fundraising and development. She also served in a vice president capacity in various industries, including industrial metal recycling, where she developed marketing strategies and operational systems for a leading scrap metal company, and in fashion, where she oversaw private-label management and design, as well as site procurement and store design.

Lisa Niemi Swayze



American writer, director, actress and dancer. She is the widow of actor, singer and dancer Patrick Swayze who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2009.

Andrew H. Ko, MD



Dr. Ko is a specialist in gastrointestinal cancer, with a particular interest in pancreatic cancer and specifically the development of new treatment strategies, including molecularly targeted therapies. He earned his MD from The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. After completing an internship and residency at Beth Israel Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston, he pursued a fellowship in medical oncology at Stanford University. Dr. Ko joined the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center in 2001, where he is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Division of Hematology/Oncology.

Lissa Kreisler



After waking up at 2:30 am to spend 40 years on morning radio sharing her smile and contagious laugh, Lissa now spends much of her time with her three young grandchildren. Her new “show” title is Grandma and she loves it. But Lissa also has a show on KCAT-TV 15 in Los Gatos and Monte Serenity called Community Storytelling and also spends time in the non profit community she has always loved, often emceeing wonderful events like the annual PurpleStride Walk. She is so excited to spend time with you!

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Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, PanCAN, PurpleStride and Wage Hope are the trademarks of Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Inc.

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s tax identification number is #33-0841281.